Social selling in B2B

Infinite ranges?

It sounds tempting: with over 720 million members worldwide (15 million of them in the DACH region alone), it seems that pretty much all active business people are on LinkedIn. In the B2B sector, you have permanent access to your specific target group, can network, exchange ideas and ultimately, of course, sell your own service or product – without having to leave your desk. This is both economical and environmentally friendly as it eliminates the need for business trips.

Social selling in practice

However, motivated to the max and driven by these incredibly promising opportunities, many social sellers seem to skip the most important steps and ultimately what actually constitutes social selling in the overall process. Who needs social when you have the prospect of selling? But be careful, because this can backfire. It’s not uncommon for potential leads to be burned by the dozen and a spam stamp on your forehead. Admittedly, the term is also somewhat misleading. Because in the end, it’s not about selling, but about building relationships with potentially interested parties, spinning a large and long-term network, making yourself and your company accessible to the target group through relevant content and ultimately, of course, interaction.

The right posture is crucial

Depending on the phase within the customer journey and the information requirements of the target group, your own activity on LinkedIn is sometimes further away from the actual sale than many people assume. However, with the right strategy, combined with a certain humility and restraint, an optimized profile and the necessary content tools, a lot can be achieved in the long term. For us, LinkedIn has now become a permanent communication tool and, in addition to network building and the reach it has achieved, it also shows very tangible success in the form of new partnerships, collaborations and B2B leads. And it’s true: our own target group is on the move there and also willing to interact. There are suitable ways to get in touch, exchange ideas and, depending on the phase, also draw attention to your own offer indirectly or directly – WITHOUT running the risk of being labeled a vacuum cleaner salesman.

Social selling – three steps to success

If you want to reach your target groups, you need to build lasting relationships. To do this, it is crucial to demonstrate consulting expertise and to underpin this credibly through regular dialog.

1. content strategy

Strategy is the key to success in social selling. B2B is not primarily about sales, but about relevant content and stories. Creating a content calendar helps you to plan your editorial content on the timeline and create a long-term dialog with your target audience.

2. development of the brand community

In addition to the company profiles on LinkedIn, Xing or kununu, your social media network also includes the profiles of your employees. Together, they form a powerful infrastructure in the marketing toolset of the future. Here you can set topics yourself, intensify dialog with prospects and customers, share content or comment on it. In this way, you increase your engagement, your relevance and your reach at the same time.

3. reporting, analysis and optimization

Lifelong learning is a hallmark of the knowledge society. Learning is also an indispensable basis for success in social selling from day one: it is important to evaluate the acceptance of your own activities and, if possible, to analyze them quantitatively, to track user behavior and to regularly adjust the strategy depending on its success.